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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. degree — temperature
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. bank — of a river
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. degree — from a university
  8. wind — moving air
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. wind — moving air
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — child
  13. drill — army training
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. drill — the tool
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. degree — an amount
  19. bat — the animal
  20. stand — to bear
  21. bank — for money
  22. drill — a practice
  23. bank — for money
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com